NEW YORK _ Jay-Z has designed a T-shirt with an image of tennis great Arthur Ashe that will be sold during the U.S. Open to benefit charity.
The shirt is part of the rap mogul's Rocawear clothing line and commemorates the USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning network's 40th anniversary. Ashe co-founded the NJTL network in 1969.
Proceeds will benefit the NJTL and the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS. Ashe died on Feb. 6, 1993 of AIDS-related pneumonia in New York at age 49.
Ashe's widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, says she is “thrilled that someone of Jay-Z's stature would take part in this project.''
Ashe will be inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions on Sept. 10.
On July 5, 1975, Ashe defeated the heavily favored Jimmy Connors in four sets to win the Wimbledon singles title, according to ArthurAshe.org. He was the first and only black man to win the most prestigious grass-court tournament, and also achieved the No. 1 men's ranking in the world that year.
Pictured at the top of the story are Jay-Z, left, and Arthur Ashe, right. Below them is a photo of the Arthur Ashe T-shirt.
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